'Water' has whetted my appetite for doing meaningful cinema: John

New Delhi, Feb 25 (UNI) It has been a year of international accolades for Bollywood hunk John Abraham - first the screening of and critical acclaim for 'Kabul Express' at the Toronto Film Festival and, now, the Oscar nomination for Deepa Mehta's 'Water'.

With 'Water', nominated by the Oscar Academy for the Best Foreign language Film category, becoming only the fourth film by an Indian filmmaker to make it to the final five nominations, the spotlight is suddenly on John, who plays the lead in the film on the life of widows in 1930s India.

For this adorable hunk, whose act as the 'cool and stylish thief' in Aditya Chopra's 'Dhoom' two years ago earned him a huge fan following in India and abroad, representing an Indian on the global platform through 'Kabul Express' and 'Water' is an altogether ecstatic feeling.

''It is great to represent India on the global platform with films like 'Water' and 'Kabul Express','' John told UNI on the eve of 'Water's much-awaited release in India on March 9 and its test at the Oscars tomorrow.

On his preparations for the big event tomorrow, John said he had not paid much attention to his wardrobe. ''I am basically a T-shirt jeans guy. So I plan to keep my wardrobe for the occasion rather simple,'' John said.

For John, 'Water' has indeed been a pathbreaking film so far as his foray into meaningful cinema is concerned.

In fact, the film has him playing a character of a low caste villager Narayan who recites Sanskrit shlokas and wears a 'Dhoti', a character far removed from the 'cool and stylish' image of John that comes across naturally on screen and also off it.

Playing Narayan was no easy task though for the model-turned- actor.

''The first thing I was told was to stop walking like John Abraham the model. So, I had to change my gait drastically to ensure that the character of Narayan did not come across like the 'cool and stylish thief with an attitude' that I played in 'Dhoom'.

I also had to learn Sanskrit shlokas as also master how to wear a 'Dhoti'. Besides, I had to learn to play the flute,'' John said.

Prior to the shooting of the film, all the actors underwent a 30-day workshop.

John said the final product had left many of his friends and acquaintances surprised.

''Watching me enact the role of Narayan in the film, many of my friends could not actually believe it was the same John they knew,'' John said.

More UNI